Friday, 24 May 2013

This month I felt like doing something quite different for my Christmas item so got out my crochet hook and wool. I made a Holiday Eggnog sprinkled with cinnamon and with a sprig of holly and a Mulled Wine decorated with cinnamon sticks and an orange slice (blood orange in my case!). The patterns are from the Mollie Makes magazine, issue 21.
After a week of mostly wet weather, today is a beautiful autumn day. I was able to go for a walk for the first time for ages and think about how blessed and thankful I am for the little spot of the world I live in. I do enjoy this time of year; it's time for fires, bowls of soup, stitching at home, and little cats making nests in blankets left out by the kids. Wendy xx

Friday, 17 May 2013

The weather this week has been damp and foggy until yesterday when I woke to a perfect autumn day. I had been wanting to visit Julie at Threadbear Cottage for what feels like ages so I decided to ignore work and make the most of the sunshine. Julie lives only 30 minutes away from me and the countryside is beautiful. Everywhere looks lush and green again, I guess the drought is definitely over. Julie's house and shop are so beautiful and inspiring, full of the many gorgeous things she has made. I bought a sweet little doll for Charlie's room and hung it beside her noticeboard. Charlie noticed as soon as she came home from school and loves it. The little red doll I bought for me, it looks really cute with my red and white things. Julie was so generous and gave me some of her famous potpourri and a lavender heart, my house is smelling amazing right now! Thank you so much Julie, visiting with you was the highlight of my week!
As for my sewing, I have been plugging away at my Vignette quilt and have finally finished two more blocks, so that's ten blocks done and six more to go! Wendy xx

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Round two of the Let's Celebrate swap with Mrs Martin's Quilt shop. A fat quarter and sewing supplies in time for Mother's day. I went with a Lynette Anderson fabric and buttons for Michelle and made her a little pincushion too. Michelle knew exactly what I would like and bought me a little bit of French General, Liberty fabric and a gorgeous binding. Love them all!! Next up is a mug rug swap, sounds like fun!

Paul worked on Sunday but he more than made up for it by cooking me a delicious dinner. I love how he arranged the roast vegetables, very Master Chef! He also bought me a beautiful bird feeder, knowing how I enjoy having birds around. We get tuis, white eyes, grey warblers and fantails and I'm hoping they will find their new feeder, Wendy xx

Friday, 10 May 2013

Our bedroom is finished! Paul actually finished wallpapering and painting it before Christmas, I told him it was the best gift he could give me. The curtains and blind were installed about a month ago so it really feels finished now. I absolutely love it, it feels like a calm peaceful place to be. In fact, I have sometimes been found hiding there with a cup of tea, enjoying my own space (and Paul's of course). I added the mosaic of photos of how it used to look, half stripped and rather ugly, and also one where we were down to bare bricks before the insulation was added.
The room is a mix of new fresh things and old treasures. The more expensive items were the insulation, the curtains and blind, and the ironing cupboard. Some of the vintage treasures we thrifted from second hand shops and TradeMe (like Ebay) are the tall mirror, the chair, the thread holder and the china plates. Inherited treasures are the chest of drawers from Paul's parents and the crystal clock from my mother. I had written a list here inspired by Sandra at Cherry Heart to make my home prettier and it included purchasing a bookcase for the bedroom and tidying craft supplies. In the end we didn't buy a new bookcase, Paul was coerced into painting yet another piece of furniture white which breathed new life into an older bookcase and little shelf. I had fun tidying my quilting supplies and magazines in their new home. I love that I now have my own little sewing supplies corner, pretty and crafty!
I also love the ironing board cupboard; we tend to leave the ironing board out so we can iron most days; now we can tidily fold the ironing board away into it's own cupboard. For me it was the perfect solution.
I have one question for you, do you think I should leave the old chair as it is or paint it white? What do you think?
Now where's Paul, I want to tell him about my plans for the lounge! Wendy xx

Saturday, 4 May 2013

The children were out at youth group last night so it was the perfect evening for an easy dinner, a movie and sewing with friends. A friend had given me a lovely old china teapot for my 20th wedding anniversary and I wanted to give her a thank you gift. But what do you give a non-sewing friend? In the end I settled on a mug rug and a pretty matching mug. I hope she likes it! I had started this on Thursday and was able to finish it last night. It is a paper-pieced pattern 'Mug O' Love' by Jennifer Ofenstein at sewhooked.com.
I was also able to finish the Harvest cross stitch I had stitched last week. Marina had a great idea of sewing the back with a seam in the middle to help give neat edges. The back seam gets covered with a ribbon or lace and becomes a scissor keep. Isn't that clever! Thanks Marina.
So I had a good Friday night, sewing with a movie. Thanks to Cheryll for hosting Friday night with friends! Wendy xx

ABOUT US

I live, work, and craft from my home in Hamilton, New Zealand. I share my home with Paul (husband), Charlie (daughter) and Josh (son), and with two cats, two goldfish and three hens. I really appreciate your visits so hope you'll stop in often to see me!